Control device, scanning system, control method, and program

ABSTRACT

A control device ( 100 ) can communicate with a first sensor ( 300 ) for detecting an object around a first vehicle and is equipped on the first vehicle ( 500 ). The control device ( 100 ) includes a first acquisition unit, a second acquisition unit, a detection unit, and a determination unit. The first acquisition unit acquires a sensing result being a result of detecting an object around the first vehicle ( 500 ) from the first sensor ( 300 ) equipped on the first vehicle ( 500 ). The second acquisition unit acquires positional information of a specified object being an object for performance measurement of the first sensor ( 300 ). The detection unit detects the specified object existing within a reference distance from the first vehicle ( 500 ), by use of positional information of the first vehicle ( 500 ) and positional information of the specified object. The determination unit determines performance of the first sensor ( 300 ), based on the sensing result of the specified object by the first sensor ( 300 ).

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a control device, a scanning system, acontrol method, and a program.

BACKGROUND ART

Research and development of a so-called automated driving technology ofautomatically controlling a behavior of a vehicle by use of an outputfrom various sensors equipped on the vehicle are under way.

Patent Document 1 mentioned below discloses an example of a technologyrelated to the automated driving technology. Patent Document 1 mentionedbelow discloses a technology of determining a risk, based on a detectionresult of a sensor used for control of autonomous driving, andoutputting information for causing a driver to terminate autonomousdriving, based on the determined risk.

RELATED DOCUMENT Patent Document

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent application PublicationNo. 2015-230552

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Technical Problem

Sensing performance of a sensor may be degraded due to aging or somemalfunction. The aforementioned technology in Patent Document 1 assumesthat sensing by a sensor is performed accurately and does not provide asolution to such a problem.

The present invention has been made in view of the aforementionedproblem, and an object of the present invention is to provide atechnology of grasping a state of a sensor equipped on a vehicle.

Solution to Problem

The invention according to claim 1 is a control device including:

a first acquisition unit configured to acquire a sensing result being aresult of detecting an object around a first vehicle from a first sensorequipped on the first vehicle;

a second acquisition unit configured to acquire positional informationof a specified object being an object for performance measurement of thefirst sensor;

a detection unit configured to detect the specified object existingwithin a reference distance from the first vehicle, by use of positionalinformation of the first vehicle and positional information of thespecified object; and

a determination unit configured to determine performance of the firstsensor by use of the sensing result of the specified object by the firstsensor.

The invention according to claim 16 is a scanning system including:

the control device according to any one of claims 1 to 15; and

a sensor configured to detect an object positioned around the firstvehicle.

The invention according to claim 18 is a control method executed by acomputer, the control method including:

acquiring a sensing result being a result of detecting an object arounda first vehicle from a first sensor equipped on the first vehicle;

acquiring positional information of a specified object being an objectfor performance measurement of the first sensor;

detecting the specified object existing within a reference distance fromthe first vehicle, by use of positional information of the first vehicleand positional information of the specified object; and

determining performance of the first sensor by use of the sensing resultof the specified object by the first sensor.

The invention according to claim 19 is a program for causing a computerto function as:

a unit configured to acquire a sensing result being a result ofdetecting an object around a first vehicle from a first sensor equippedon the first vehicle;

a unit configured to acquire positional information of a specifiedobject being an object for performance measurement of the first sensor;

a unit configured to detect the specified object existing within areference distance from the first vehicle, by use of positionalinformation of the first vehicle and positional information of thespecified object; and

a unit configured to determine performance of the first sensor by use ofthe sensing result of the specified object by the first sensor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The aforementioned object, other objects, features and advantages willbecome more apparent by the following preferred embodiments andaccompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram for illustrating an outline of a control deviceaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating a functionalconfiguration of a control device according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the controldevice.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of the controldevice according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a storage unit storingreference performance data.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a table defining acorrespondence relation between an inclination and correction data.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating a functionalconfiguration of a control device according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating a functionalconfiguration of a control device according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a table storing a sensingresult of each vehicle as a history.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of the controldevice according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of processing of generatinghistory data (reference performance data).

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of history data (referenceperformance data).

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of processing of determiningperformance of a first sensor by use of history data.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below by use ofdrawings. In every drawing, a similar reference sign is given to asimilar component, and description thereof is appropriately omitted.Further, unless otherwise described, each block in a block diagramrepresents a function-based configuration rather than a hardware-basedconfiguration.

Description of Outline

FIG. 1 is a diagram for illustrating an outline of a control device 100according to the present invention. The control device 100 according tothe present invention may be a device equipped on a vehicle 500 (may behereinafter also denoted as a “first vehicle 500”) or may be an externaldevice communicably connected to the first vehicle 500 through acommunication network outside the vehicle. Further, part of functions ofthe control device 100, to be described below, may be provided by adevice equipped on the first vehicle 500, and the remaining functionsmay be provided by an external device. An example of the control device100 being equipped on the first vehicle 500 is illustrated in FIG. 1 .Further, the control device 100 is also communicably connected to asensor 300 (unillustrated, and may be hereinafter also denoted as a“first sensor 300”) equipped on the first vehicle 500. The first sensor300 includes various sensors for detecting an object positioned aroundthe first vehicle 500. A sensing result of an object by the first sensor300 may be used as an input to a known algorithm for detectingsurrounding obstacles or a known algorithm for estimating aself-position and an attitude of the first vehicle 500, in addition tobeing used for performance measurement of the sensor, to be describedlater. Sensing performance of the first sensor 300 may be degraded dueto a state of the sensor such as aging degradation and internaltemperature of the sensor, or an external environment (such as rain,fog, a cloud of dust, snow, or the westering sun). Further, degradationin sensing performance of the first sensor 300 appears in a form of avariation in a characteristic (such as a signal-to-noise ratio or asignal strength) of the sensing result. The control device 100 accordingto the present invention at least has a function of determiningperformance of the first sensor 300, based on a characteristic of thesensing result of an object used for measuring the performance of thefirst sensor 300 (may be hereinafter also denoted as a “specifiedobject”).

A specific configuration and a specific operation of the control device100 will be described in each the following embodiments.

First Embodiment Functional Configuration

FIG. 2 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating a functionalconfiguration of a control device 100 according to a first embodiment.As illustrated in FIG. 2 , the control device 100 according to thepresent embodiment includes a first acquisition unit 110, a secondacquisition unit 120, a detection unit 130, and a determination unit140.

The first acquisition unit 110 acquires a sensing result of an objectfrom a first sensor 300 for detecting an object around a first vehicle500. Further, the second acquisition unit 120 acquires positionalinformation of a specified object. As described above, a specifiedobject is an object used for performance measurement of the first sensor300. A specified object may be a dedicated object provided fordetermining performance of a sensor equipped on each vehicle or may be ageneral object. In the case of the latter, for example, the specifiedobject is an installation installed on the road (example: a signal, adelineator, a guardrail, a road sign, or a direction sign) or a markingon the road (a regulation marking or an instruction marking). Aninstallation, and a marking on the road may also be used for estimationprocessing of a position and an attitude of each vehicle. The detectionunit 130 detects a specified object existing within a reference distancefrom the first vehicle 500, by use of positional information of thefirst vehicle 500 and positional information of a specified object. Thedetermination unit 140 determines performance of the first sensor 300 byuse of a sensing result a specified object by the first sensor 300.

Hardware Configuration of Control Device 100

Each functional component in the control device 100 may be provided byhardware (example: a hardwired electronic circuit) providing eachfunctional component or may be provided by a combination of hardware andsoftware (example: a combination of an electronic circuit and a programcontrolling the electronic circuit). A case of each functional componentin the control device 100 being provided by a combination of hardwareand software will be further described.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the controldevice 100. A computer 200 is a computer providing the control device100. When the control device 100 is an on-vehicle device, the computer200 is, for example, an electronic control unit (ECU) equipped on thefirst vehicle 500. When the control device 100 is a server devicepositioned outside the vehicle, or the like, the computer 200 isconstructed as a general computer. The computer 200 includes a bus 202,a processor 204, a memory 206, a storage device 208, an input-outputinterface 210, and a network interface 212. The bus 202 is a datatransmission channel for the processor 204, the memory 206, the storagedevice 208, the input-output interface 210, and the network interface212 to mutually transmit and receive data. However, a method ofinterconnecting the processor 204 and the like is not limited to the busconnection. The processor 204 is an arithmetic processing unit providedby use of a microprocessor, a central processing unit (CPU), a graphicsprocessing unit (GPU), or the like. The memory 206 is a main storageunit provided by use of a random access memory (RAM) or the like. Thestorage device 208 is an auxiliary storage unit provided by use of aread only memory (ROM), a flash memory, or the like. However, thestorage device 208 may be configured with hardware similar to thehardware constituting the main storage unit, such as a RAM.

The storage device 208 stores a program module for providing eachfunctional component in the control device 100. The processor 204provides a function of the control device 100 by reading the programmodule into the memory 206 and executing the program module. The storagedevice 208 may store map information used by the detection unit 110.

The input-output interface 210 is an interface for connecting thecomputer 200 to peripheral equipment. In FIG. 3 , the input-outputinterface 210 is connected to the first sensor 300 equipped on the firstvehicle 500. The first sensor 300 is a sensor for detecting an objectaround the first vehicle 500. For example, the first sensor 300 is anoptical sensor measuring a distance and a direction from the firstvehicle to an object by use of light (such as a pulse wave of light).Further, the first sensor 300 may be an image sensor using acharge-coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor(CMOS), an acoustic sensor using a piezoelectric vibrator, or the like.Further, the present invention may be provided as a scanning systemincluding the control device 100 and the first sensor 300. When thefirst sensor is a sensor using light, the scanning system may bereferred to as a so-called light detection and ranging (Lidar) system.

The network interface 212 is an interface for connecting the computer200 to a communication network. For example, the communication networkis a Controller Area Network (CAN) or a Wide Area Network (WAN). Amethod of connecting the network interface 212 to the communicationnetwork may be a wireless connection or a wired connection. For example,the control device 100 can communicate with an ECU on the first vehicle500 or an unillustrated server device through the network interface 212.

The configuration of the present embodiment described above allowsdetermination of performance of the first sensor 300 equipped on thefirst vehicle 500. Further, the configuration of the present embodimentdescribed above allows determination of performance of the first sensor300 in real time while the first vehicle 500 is traveling.

Operation Example

The configuration of the first embodiment will be described below inmore detail by giving a specific operation example. FIG. 4 is aflowchart illustrating an operation example of the control device 100according to the first embodiment. For example, processing describedbelow is repeatedly executed at predetermined intervals while the firstvehicle 500 is traveling.

The first acquisition unit 110 acquires a sensing result of an objectpositioned around the first vehicle 500 from the first sensor 300(S102). Next, the second acquisition unit 120 acquires positionalinformation of a specified object (S104). For example, positionalinformation of each specified object is stored in a predetermined tableand is further stored in a predetermined storage unit. In addition,positional information of a specified object may be stored inassociation with map information. For example, by preparing, as a typeof information included in map information about an object, flaginformation indicating whether or not the object is a specified object,or information allowing identification of a specified object (such as anidentifier of the specified object), positional information of thespecified object can be associated with the map information. Further,without being particularly limited, a specified object is a publicproperty installed on a road (such as a signal, a delineator, aguardrail, a road sign, or a direction sign), a marking on a road (suchas a regulation marking or an instruction marking), or the like. Whenthe first sensor 300 uses light, a road sign or a direction sign using aretroreflective material is preferable as a specified object from aviewpoint of a capability of efficiently receiving reflected light.

The second acquisition unit 120 may acquire relative positionalinformation between the first vehicle 500 (first sensor 300) and aspecified object. For example, a specified object is installed at aposition being a predetermined distance apart from a stop position ofthe first vehicle 500 in a factory performing maintenance of anaccessory of the first vehicle 500, or the like, and the secondacquisition unit 120 acquires information indicating the predetermineddistance as “relative positional information between the first vehicle500 (first sensor 300) and the specified object.” In this case,reference performance (such as a signal-to-noise ratio or a signalstrength) based on the predetermined distance is previously prepared ina predetermined storage area, and by comparison with referenceperformance read from the storage area, the determination unit 140 canevaluate performance of the first sensor 300. Further, the secondacquisition unit 120 may acquire map information of the inside of thefactory and positional information (or position-attitude information) ofthe specified object. In this case, for example, the map information ofthe inside of the factory and the positional information (or theposition-attitude information) of the specified object are stored in apredetermined server device, and by communicating with the serverdevice, the second acquisition unit 120 may acquire the aforementionedmap information and the aforementioned positional information of thespecified object or position-attitude information. The determinationunit 140 can evaluate performance of the first sensor 300 by readingreference performance data to be compared from the predetermined storagearea, based on the pieces of information described above and positionalinformation of the own vehicle estimated in the factory, and comparingthe reference performance data with an actual measurement result.

The detection unit 130 acquires positional information of the firstvehicle 500 (S106). The detection unit 130 may be configured to be ableto calculate positional information of the first vehicle 500 by use of aknown algorithm estimating a self-position and an attitude, based on aBayesian estimation, or may be configured to be able to acquirepositional information of the first vehicle 500 generated by anotherunillustrated processing unit.

Then, based on positional information of the first vehicle 500 andpositional information of each specified object, the detection unit 130determines whether or not a specified object positioned within areference distance from the first vehicle 500 exists (S108). When aspecified object does not exist within the reference distance from thefirst vehicle 500 (S108: NO), subsequent processing is not executed. Onthe other hand, when a specified object exists within the referencedistance from the first vehicle 500 (S108: YES), the detection unit 130outputs information allowing identification of the specified object(such as an identifier uniquely assigned to each specified object) tothe determination unit 140 (S110).

For example, information indicating a reference distance is previouslystored in a storage unit such as the memory 206 or the storage device208. Further, the detection unit 130 may be configured to change areference distance according to a vehicle speed. As an example, thedetection unit 130 can acquire a traveling speed of the first vehicle500 through a CAN of the first vehicle 500, correct a reference distancestored in the storage unit, based on the traveling speed, and use thecorrected reference distance. In this case, the detection unit 130 makesthe correction in such a way that as the vehicle speed becomes faster,the reference distance becomes longer. Further, a plurality of referencedistances based on vehicle speeds may be previously stored in a storageunit such as the memory 206 or the storage device 208, and the detectionunit 130 may be configured to read a reference distance based on anacquired speed of the first vehicle 500. Thus, performance of the firstsensor 300 can be determined within a distance based on a vehicle speed.

Out of the sensing results of objects positioned around the firstvehicle 500, the sensing results being acquired in the processing inS102, the determination unit 140 acquires a sensing result of thespecified object detected in the processing in S110 (S112). Thedetermination unit 140 can calculate an estimated position of thespecified object within a sensing range of the first sensor 300, basedon information indicating a position and an attitude of the firstvehicle 500 and map information, and can extract a signal in an arearelated to the specified object out of output signals of the firstsensor 300, based on the estimated position. Further, after estimatingan approximate area including the sensing result of the specified objectin a sensing range of the first sensor 300 on the basis of informationindicating the position and the attitude of the first vehicle 500 andthe map information (the position of the specified object), thedetermination unit 140 can correct the estimated area, based on anactual sensing result. For example, the determination unit 140 cancorrect the roughly estimated area from spatial continuity between adetection distance or a signal strength expected for an output of thefirst sensor 300 with respect to the specified object, and the actualsensing result. The sensing result of the specified object by the firstsensor 300 includes information indicating a distance from the firstvehicle 500 to the specified object and information indicating acharacteristic (for example, a signal-to-noise ratio or a signalstrength) of the output signal of the first sensor 300. The sensingresult of the specified object is acquired as information with respectto a plurality of points on a surface of the specified object. Thedetermination unit 140 may use an average of sensing results at theplurality of points on the surface of the specified object as a sensingresult of the specified object. Further, the determination unit 140 mayselect a sensing result at a distance closest to the reference distanceout of the sensing results with respect to the plurality of points onthe surface of the specified object and use the sensing result inperformance determination processing of the first sensor 300, to bedescribed later.

Then, the determination unit 140 acquires reference performance dataassociated with the specified object detected by the detection unit 130(S114). For example, reference performance data related to eachspecified object is stored in association with information allowingidentification of the specified object (such as an identifier of thespecified object) as illustrated in FIG. 5 . FIG. 5 is a diagramillustrating an example of a storage unit storing reference performancedata. The determination unit 140 can read reference performance data,based on an identifier of a specified object acquired from the detectionunit 130.

Reference performance data is data indicating a signal-to-noise ratio ora signal strength of an output signal of the first sensor 300 based on adistance to a specified object and is associated with each specifiedobject in a form of a predetermined table or function. In the example inFIG. 5 , reference performance data is associated in a format of afunction. Reference performance data vary with a sensor equipped on avehicle and therefore may be prepared for each sensor or each deviceequipped with the sensor. A case of using the same sensor is hereinassumed for simplification of description.

The determination unit 140 can acquire distance reference performancedata included in the sensing result acquired in the processing in S102.Depending on a type of the first sensor 300, a distance from the firstvehicle 500 to the specified object may not be included in the sensingresult. For example, when the first sensor 300 is a common monocularcamera, a sensing result (image data) may not include information on thedistance to the specified object. In such a case, the determination unit140 can calculate a difference distance between the positionalinformation of the specified object acquired in the processing in S104and the positional information of the first vehicle 500 acquired in theprocessing in S106, and acquire reference performance data based on thedifference distance. Further, based on a size of the specified object onthe image data (a relative size with respect to a width and a height ofthe image data), the determination unit 140 may estimate a distance fromthe first sensor 300 to the specified object and use the estimateddistance as a distance from the first vehicle 500 to the specifiedobject.

For example, the reference performance data is data based on a sensingresult of a specified object by the first sensor 300 in a predeterminedexternal environment (test environment). As an example, the referenceperformance data is test-measurement data of a specified object by thefirst sensor 300 in an ideal state. The ideal state refers to a state inwhich an effect of an external environment (such as an effect ofexternal light (the westering sun), rain, fog, a cloud of dust, or snow)on performance of the first sensor 300 does not exist, and also agingdegradation of the sensor does not exist (for example, a state atinitial shipping). The reference performance data may be determinedbased on a single test result or may be determined based on a statistic(such as a maximum value, a median, a mode, or an average) of aplurality of test measurement results. Further, a plurality of types ofreference performance data may be prepared by performing measurements invarious test environments with different conditions. For example, aplurality of types of reference performance data such as first referencedata acquired by a test measurement in the ideal state, second referenceperformance data acquired by a test measurement in a darkroom, thirdreference performance data acquired by a test measurement in anenvironment assuming the nighttime, and fourth reference performancedata in an environment assuming cloudiness in the daytime may beprepared. Further, the reference performance data may be determinedbased on a performance value theoretically derived from a productspecification of the first sensor 300.

Further, without being limited to the example in FIG. 5 , wheninformation indicating a physical characteristic of each individualspecified object (such as a light reflectance) is kept in associationwith map information or the like, the determination unit 140 may alsocalculate the reference performance data by use of the informationindicating a physical characteristic of each individual specifiedobject. In this case, a function or a table for calculating referenceperformance data by use of information indicating a physicalcharacteristic of a specified object is previously prepared in thememory 206 or the storage device 208. By using information indicating aphysical characteristic associated with a specified object detected bythe detection unit 130 as an input to the function or the table, thedetermination unit 140 can derive reference performance data of thespecified object. Thus, even for the same type of specified objects, aphysical characteristic is kept for each individual, and thereforedegradation or the like of a specified object can be handled.

Then, the determination unit 140 determines performance of the firstsensor 300, based on a result of comparing an actual sensing result ofthe specified object acquired in the processing in S112 with referenceperformance data associated with the specified object acquired in theprocessing in S114 (S116). The determination unit 140 can determine anestimated value (such as a decibel value or a ratio) of performance ofthe first sensor 300, on the basis of a signal-to-noise ratio or asignal strength based on a distance to the specified object, the ratioor the strength being indicated by the reference performance data, andoutput information indicating the determination result. Specifically,the determination unit 140 can output information indicating “N [dB]degradation with respect to the reference performance.”

First Modified Example

For example, each specified object may become unsuited for performancemeasurement of the first sensor 300 due to a state (such as adhesion ofdirt, deformation, or degradation of the surface) of the specifiedobject or a surrounding environment. The detection unit 130 may have afunction of excluding such a specified object unsuited for performancemeasurement of the first sensor 300 from a detection target.

As an example, the detection unit 130 may exclude a specified object notsatisfying a predetermined criterion from a detection target by use ofhistory data of a sensing result of the specified object. For example,the predetermined criterion is “a probability of acquiring a sensingresult equivalent (for example, 90% or greater) to a signal-to-noiseratio or a signal strength indicated by reference performance dataassociated with the specified object is less than or equal to a certainratio (for example, 30%).” By excluding such a specified object from adetection target, the detection unit 130 can improve performancemeasurement precision of the first sensor 300.

When the control device 100 is an on-vehicle device, history data of asensing result of a specified object is kept in, for example, a serverdevice (unillustrated) on an external network. Further, when the controldevice 100 is an external server device, history data of a sensingresult of a specified object is kept in the memory 206 or the storagedevice 208 in the computer 200 providing the control device 100. When asensor equipped on each vehicle performs sensing on a specified object,the sensing result (a distance to the specified object and asignal-to-noise ratio or a signal strength of a signal) is sent to theserver device along with identification information of the specifiedobject. By accumulating a sensing result of a specified object by asensor equipped on each vehicle by the control device 100 functioning asa server device or a server device on an external network, history dataof the sensing result of the specified object is generated and updated.Further, information indicating a time and the weather when sensing isperformed on the specified object and information for identifying thesensor may be further transmitted to the control device 100 functioningas a server device or the server device on the external network. In thiscase, the detection unit 130 can narrow down the history data byconditions such as the weather or a time, and precisely determinewhether or not the specified object is suited for performancemeasurement of the first sensor 300. Further, information indicating adegradation state of the sensor performing the sensing may be furthertransmitted to the control device 100 functioning as a server device orthe server device on the external network. The detection unit 130 mayexclude data related to a degraded sensor, based on the informationindicating a degradation state of the sensor. Thus, by excluding data inwhich a cause of a sensing result equivalent to reference performancedata not being acquired is at least degradation of a sensor, whether ornot a specified object is suited for performance measurement of thefirst sensor 300 can be more precisely determined.

Further, as another example, the detection unit 130 can sort out aspecified object to be a detection target, by use of informationindicating an inclination of a specified object. Specifically, thedetection unit 130 can sort out a specified object to be a detectiontarget, based on an inclination of a specified object relative to thefirst vehicle 500 or a road on which the first vehicle 500 is traveling.For example, the detection unit 130 can identify a current attitude ofthe first vehicle 500 (a direction the first vehicle 500 is directed to)by use of the first sensor 300 or another inertial measurement device,and calculate a degree of inclination of the specified object relativeto the first vehicle 500, based on information about the attitude of thefirst vehicle 500 and information indicating a direction of thespecified object, the information about the direction being stored inmap information. This method allows more accurate calculation of adegree of inclination of a specified object relative to the firstvehicle 500 and therefore is effective in terms of precisionenhancement. In addition, the detection unit 130 may assume an extendingdirection of a road on which the first vehicle 500 is currentlytraveling as an attitude of the first vehicle 500 and simply calculate adegree of inclination of a specified object relative to the road as adegree of inclination of the specified object relative to the firstvehicle 500. In this case, the detection unit 130 can determine theextending direction of the road on which the first vehicle 500 iscurrently traveling, based on information indicating a current positionof the first vehicle 500 and information about roads stored in the mapinformation. This method is more advantageous than the former method inbeing able to be implemented by simpler processing. Further, thedetection unit 130 may switch these methods, depending on a location ora situation. For example, the detection unit 130 may be configured toswitch to the method of calculating a degree of inclination of aspecified object assuming an extending direction of a road as anattitude of the first vehicle 500 when a degree of likelihood ofinformation about the attitude of the first vehicle 500 is lower than apredetermined reference. When a specified object is inclined, a sensorwave reflected and returned by the specified object cannot beefficiently received, and performance measurement precision of the firstsensor 300 may be degraded. By excluding such a specified object from adetection target, the detection unit 130 can improve performancemeasurement precision of the first sensor 300.

Further, when a specified object is inclined relative to the firstsensor 300, performance of the first sensor 300 may be affecteddepending on a degree of inclination. In this case, the determinationunit 140 may further have a function of correcting a sensing result ofthe specified object according to a relative degree of inclinationbetween the first sensor 300 and the specified object. Specifically, thedetermination unit 140 can read correction data based on the degree ofinclination relative to the first sensor 300 by referring to an equationor a table (example: FIG. 6 ) indicating a correspondence relationbetween a degree of inclination relative to the first sensor 300 andcorrection data, and correct the sensing result by use of the correctiondata. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a table defining acorrespondence relation between an inclination and correction data. Aninclination in the table indicates a variation from an angle formedbetween a sensor and an object at the time of acquisition of referenceperformance data. With regard to a relative degree of inclinationbetween the first sensor 300 and a specified object required inderivation of correction data from the table as illustrated in FIG. 6 orthe like, for example, the determination unit 140 can calculate therelative degree of inclination between the first sensor 300 and thespecified object, based on a position and an inclination of eachspecified object that are stored in the map information or the like, anda position and an inclination (attitude) of the own vehicle that may becalculated by use of a known algorithm. Further, when the first sensor300 is a sensor capable of detecting a shape of a specified object, anattitude (degree of inclination) relative to the own vehicle may beestimated from a shape (attitude) of the specified object indicated bythe sensing result.

Second Modified Example

Further, the determination unit 140 may determine performance of thefirst sensor 300 at a plurality of distances previously defined within arange of the aforementioned reference distance. For example, twodistances d₁ and d₂ are previously defined within a range of a referencedistance d (where d₁≤d, d₂≤d, and d₁≠d₂), and the determination unit 140can determine performance of the first sensor 300, based on a sensingresult at the first distance d₁ and a sensing result at the seconddistance d₂. For example, the determination unit 140 calculates astatistic (such as an average, a mode, or a median) of sensing resultsof a specified object at a plurality of distances. Thus, by usingsensing results at a plurality of distances, performance determinationprecision of the first sensor 300 can be improved.

Second Embodiment

The present embodiment is similar to the first embodiment except for thefollowing point.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating a functionalconfiguration of a control device 100 according to the secondembodiment. The control device 100 according to the present embodimentfurther includes a control unit 150 in addition to the configurationaccording to the first embodiment. The control unit 150 controls anoperation of a first vehicle 500, based on performance of a first sensor300 determined by a determination unit 140.

As an example, the control unit 150 can control a control parameter inautomated driving of the first vehicle 500, by use of performance of thefirst sensor 300 determined by the determination unit 140. In this case,for example, the control unit 150 notifies an instruction related to asetting of a control parameter (such as a parameter value or an amountof parameter variation) based on a determination result of performanceof the first sensor 300 to an ECU equipped on the first vehicle 500. TheECU on the first vehicle 500 controls the parameter in automated drivingin accordance with the instruction from the control unit 150. As aspecific example, the control unit 150 acquires an estimated value ofperformance of the first sensor 300 determined by the determination unit140 and notifies the ECU of an instruction about an upper speed limit ofthe first vehicle 500 based on the estimated value. In this case, theECU changes a control parameter for speed in accordance with theinstruction. Further, as another example, when performance of the firstsensor 300 determined by the determination unit 140 becomes less than orequal to a predetermined threshold value, the control unit 150 notifiesthe ECU of an instruction to gradually decelerate and stop the firstvehicle 500. In this case, the ECU controls the first vehicle 500 insuch a way that the first vehicle 500 gradually decelerates whilepulling over to the side of a roadway, in accordance with theinstruction. Further, as another example, when performance of the firstsensor 300 determined by the determination unit 140 becomes less than orequal to a predetermined threshold value, the control unit 150 notifiesthe ECU of an instruction to switch over to manual driving. In thiscase, the ECU outputs a message about a switchover to manual driving, orthe like from a display or a speaker device for a driver.

Hardware Configuration

The control device 100 according to the present embodiment includes ahardware configuration similar to the first embodiment (example: FIG. 3). A storage device 208 according to the present embodiment furtherstores a program module providing the function of the aforementioneddetermination unit 140, and the aforementioned function according to thepresent embodiment is provided by executing the program module by aprocessor 204.

As described above, the present embodiment allows control of theoperation of the first vehicle 500, in accordance with a determinationresult of performance of the first sensor 300.

Third Embodiment

The present embodiment is similar to the respective aforementionedembodiments except for the following point. A configuration exemplifiedhere is based on the configuration according to the first embodiment.

Functional Configuration

FIG. 8 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating a functionalconfiguration of a control device 100 according to the third embodiment.The control device 100 according to the present embodiment furtherincludes an alarm output unit 160 in addition to the configurationaccording to the first embodiment.

A determination unit 140 according to the present embodiment estimates adegradation state of a first sensor 300 by use of a sensing result of aspecified object by the first sensor 300 and additional information forperformance comparison. Estimation processing of a degradation state bythe determination unit 140 will be described below by giving severalspecific examples.

First Example

As an example, information about a vehicle different from a firstvehicle 500 (may be hereinafter also denoted as a “second vehicle”) onwhich a performance measurement of a sensor is made by use of the samespecified object at almost the same time may be used as additionalinformation for performance comparison. Specifically, the additionalinformation for performance comparison is a sensing result of the samespecified object by a sensor equipped on the second vehicle (may behereinafter also denoted as a “second sensor”) and is informationincluding a sensing result of which a difference in sensing time ascompared with the first sensor 300 is within a predetermined thresholdvalue and a degradation state of the second sensor.

When the control device 100 is an external server device, thedetermination unit 140 in the control device 100 collects a sensingresult by a sensor equipped in each vehicle from each vehicle and forexample, keeps the sensing result in a format as illustrated in FIG. 9 .FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a table storing a sensingresult of each vehicle as a history. By referring to the table asillustrated in FIG. 9 by use of a time when the first sensor 300performs sensing and an identifier of a specified object on which thefirst sensor 300 performs sensing, the determination unit 140 canspecify data of a second sensor indicating a sensing result of the samespecified object at almost the same time. Further, the determinationunit 140 can acquire a degradation state of the second sensor tied tothe specified data of the second sensor. When the control device 100 isan on-vehicle device, the determination unit 140 can acquire additionalinformation as described above by performing vehicle-to-vehiclecommunication with an external server or a second vehicle travelingahead of or behind the first vehicle 500. Further, when acquiringinformation from a second vehicle traveling ahead or behind byvehicle-to-vehicle communication, by transmitting a data transmissionrequest including an identifier of a specified object to the secondvehicle, the determination unit 140 can directly acquire data includinga sensing result by the second sensor and a degradation state of thesecond sensor from the second vehicle.

A specific flow of estimating a degradation state of the first sensor300 will be described below by use of the aforementioned additionalinformation.

First, reference performance data associated with a specified object Ais denoted as R_(A), an effect of an external environment (for example,external light such as the sunlight, and obstacles such as rain, fog,and a cloud of dust) on sensing performance when the first sensor 300performs sensing is denoted as α₁, an effect of the external environmenton sensing performance when the second sensor performs sensing isdenoted as α₂, a degradation state of the first sensor 300 is denoted asβ₁, and a degradation state of the second sensor is denoted as β₂. Then,a sensing result S₁ of the specified object A by the first sensor 300and a sensing result S₂ of the specified object A by the second sensorare expressed as the following equation (1) and equation (2),respectively.

Math. 1

S ₁ =R _(A)−α₁−β₁  (1)

S ₂ =R _(A)−α₂−β₂  (2)

The aforementioned equation (2) may be transformed as expressed in thefollowing equation (3). When the degradation state β₂ of the secondsensor is acquired as known information along with the sensing result S₂of the specified object by the second sensor, the left side part of thefollowing equation (3) can be determined.

Math. 2

S ₂+β₂ =R _(A)−α₂  (3)

Then, the following equation (4) may be derived based on theaforementioned equation (1) and equation (3).

Math. 3

(S ₂+β₂)−S ₁=(R _(A)−α₂)−(R _(A)−α₁−β₁)=β₁+α₁−α₂  (4)

According to an assumption that “in order to measure performance of asensor, the same specified object is used at almost the same time,”magnitude of effects by the external environment may be consideredalmost equal. Specifically, the effect α₁ of the external environment onperformance when sensing is performed by the first sensor 300 and theeffect α₂ of the external environment on performance when sensing isperformed by the second sensor become equal, and therefore “β₁+α₁−α₂” inthe aforementioned equation (4) may be handled as “β₁.”

Thus, the determination unit 140 can determine a degradation state ofthe first sensor by using, as information for comparison, data of thesecond vehicle (a sensing result of the same specified object by thesecond sensor and a degradation state of the second sensor) in which aperformance measurement of the sensor is performed by use of the samespecified object at almost the same time.

Second Example

Further, as another example, additional information including sensingresults of one or more specified objects detected by the detection unit130 after the first sensor 300 performs sensing on a specified objectmay be used in addition to the additional information in the firstexample. With regard to the sensing results of one or more specifiedobjects, the specified objects may be the same or different. Forexample, the determination unit 140 may estimate a degradation state ofthe first sensor 300 as described below.

First, the determination unit 140 assumes β₁ determined as described inthe first example to be an amount of degradation of the first sensor300. Then, the determination unit 140 compares a sensing result of eachof one or more specified objects detected by the detection unit 130within a predetermined period of time after β₁ is determined withreference performance data associated with each of the one or morespecified objects. When a predetermined criterion (such as a ratio of adifference from the reference performance data being greater than orequal to β₁ is 70% or greater) is satisfied as a result of thecomparison, the determination unit 140 sets β₁ as a proper amount ofdegradation of the first sensor 300.

The alarm output unit 160 determines a necessity for outputting an alarmabout the first sensor 300, based on a degradation state of the firstsensor 300 estimated by the determination unit 140 as described above.For example, when a degradation state (a degree of degradation) of thefirst sensor 300 is greater than or equal to a predetermined thresholdvalue, the alarm output unit 160 generates an alarm for outputting amessage prompting maintenance or replacement of the first sensor 300from a display or a speaker.

Further, the alarm output unit 160 may be configured to determine thenecessity for outputting the alarm, based on a comparison result betweena degradation state (first degradation state) of the first sensor 300estimated by the determination unit 140 at a certain timing and adegradation state (second degradation state) of the first sensor 300estimated by the determination unit 140 prior to the certain timing. Inthis case, for example, when a difference between amounts of degradationis greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold value as a resultof comparing the first degradation state with the second degradationstate, the alarm output unit 160 determines that output of the alarm isnecessary.

Hardware Configuration

The control device 100 according to the present embodiment includes ahardware configuration similar to that according to the first embodiment(example: FIG. 3 ). A storage device 208 according to the presentembodiment further stores program modules providing the functions of theaforementioned determination unit 140 and the alarm output unit 160,respectively, and the aforementioned functions according to the presentembodiment are provided by executing the respective program modules bythe processor 204.

Operation Example

An operation of outputting an alarm by the control device 100 accordingto the present embodiment will be described by use of FIG. 10 . FIG. 10is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of the control device100 according to the third embodiment. For example, processing in FIG.10 is executed after the processing in S116 in FIG. 4 .

As described above, the determination unit 140 estimates a degradationstate of the first sensor 300 (S202). The determination unit 140notifies the estimated degradation state of the first sensor 300 to thealarm output unit 160.

Then, the alarm output unit 160 determines whether or not thedegradation state of the first sensor 300 estimated in the processing inS202 is greater than or equal to a reference threshold value (S204). Thereference threshold value used here is previously stored in a memory 206or the storage device 208.

When the degradation state of the first sensor 300 is less than thereference threshold value (S204: NO), processing described below is notexecuted. On the other hand, when the degradation state of the firstsensor 300 is greater than or equal to the reference threshold value(S204: YES), the alarm output unit 160 generates alarm information(S206). For example, the alarm information includes a message advisingmaintenance of the first sensor 300 or replacement of the first sensor300. Then, the alarm output unit 160 outputs the alarm informationthrough a display (for example, an unillustrated car navigation deviceor a meter panel) or a speaker device equipped on the first vehicle 500and notifies the alarm information about the first sensor 300 to apassenger of the first vehicle 500 (S208).

As described above, the present embodiment allows estimation of adegradation state of the first sensor 300. Further, alarm informationabout the first sensor 300 is output to a passenger of the first vehicle500, based on a degradation state of the first sensor 300. Consequently,a need for maintenance or replacement of the first sensor 300 can beinformed to the passenger of the first vehicle 500.

Further, while an example of the alarm output unit 160 notifying alarminformation to a passenger in the first vehicle 500 has been described,according to the aforementioned embodiment, without being limited to theabove, for example, the alarm output unit 160 may be configured tonotify alarm information to a center managing each vehicle. In addition,the alarm output unit 160 may be configured to notify alarm informationto a terminal (for example, a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or atablet) used by a passenger of the first vehicle 500 (for example, adriver or a family of the driver). In this case, for example, addressinformation of the terminal being a destination of the alarm ispreviously stored in the memory 206 or the storage device 208 throughadvance registration processing. In addition, the alarm output unit 160may be configured to notify alarm information about the first sensor 300to a control unit 150 or another ECU controlling an automated drivingfunction, as a trigger or an instruction for changing a route inautomated driving. In this case, for example, the control unit 150 orthe ECU may select an automated driving route directed to a nearbyrepair shop in accordance with the notification of the alarm informationfrom the alarm output unit 160.

While the embodiments have been described above with reference to thedrawings, the embodiments are exemplifications of the present invention,and various configurations other than the above may be employed.

For example, since accuracy is more important than immediacy in terms ofdetermination of aging degradation of a sensor, the determination unit140 may be configured to determine a degradation state of the firstsensor 300 by performing statistical processing on history data ofsensing results of the first sensor 300.

As an example, the determination unit 140 may determine a statistic(such as a maximum value, a median, a mode, or an average) ofdifferences between history data and reference performance data ofsensing results in a predetermined period of time (or a predeterminednumber of times) as an amount of degradation of the first sensor 300.

Further, a sensor used for sensing normally has a temperaturecharacteristic (output variation caused by temperature), and an outputof the first sensor 300 may be affected by a temperature at the time ofsensing. Consequently, when an abnormal (degraded from referenceperformance) sensing result is acquired as an output of the first sensor300, a case that whether a cause of the abnormality is due toperformance degradation of the first sensor 300 itself or thetemperature when the first sensor 300 performs the sensing cannot bedetermined may be considered. Accordingly, the determination unit 140may be configured to be able to sort out data used for statisticalprocessing, by use of temperature information indicating a temperatureof the first sensor 300. For example, when acquiring a sensing resultfrom the first sensor 300, the determination unit 140 further acquirestemperature information indicating a temperature of the first sensor 300by, for example, a temperature sensor (unillustrated) built into thefirst sensor 300. Then, the determination unit 140 determines whether ornot the temperature of the first sensor 300 is within a predeterminedtemperature range (example: a proper operating temperature range of thefirst sensor 300). The proper operating temperature range of the firstsensor 300 is previously determined in a design stage of the firstsensor 300, based on a characteristic of each member constituting thefirst sensor 300, or the like. Further, information about thepredetermined temperature range is previously stored in the memory 206,the storage device 208, or the like. When the temperature of the firstsensor 300 is not within the predetermined temperature range, thedetermination unit 140 may determine the sensing result by the firstsensor 300 at this time as data not used for degradation determinationof the first sensor 300. Consequently, an erroneous determination aboutwhether or not performance of the first sensor 300 is degraded can besuppressed. Further, the temperature sensor may be provided in theneighborhood of the first sensor 300. For example, the “neighborhood” inthis case refers to a range in which a distance between the first sensorand the temperature sensor is within 5 millimeters.

Further, as another example, when history data include informationindicating the weather or a time at sensing, the determination unit 140may be configured to be able to sort out data used for statisticalprocessing, based on the information. Specifically, the determinationunit 140 may estimate a degradation state of the first sensor 300 bysorting out a sensing result for “the nighttime” out of sensing resultsincluded in history data, based on information indicating the weather,and comparing the sensing result with reference performance datatest-measured in an environment assuming the nighttime. Consequently, adegradation state of the first sensor 300 can be estimated with dataless affected by a disturbance such as the sunlight. Further, thedetermination unit 140 may estimate a degradation state of the firstsensor 300 by sorting out a sensing result for “cloudiness in thedaytime” out of sensing results included in history data, based oninformation indicating the weather and a time, and comparing the sensingresult with reference performance data test-measured in an environmentassuming “cloudiness in the daytime.” Further, the determination unit140 may determine a final degradation state of the first sensor 300 byperforming statistical processing on the thus sorted out, estimateddegradation states of the first sensor 300. Further, the determinationunit 140 may execute statistical processing after sorting sensingresults included in history data into a sensing result for “the daytime”and a sensing result for “the nighttime”, based on informationindicating a time, and correcting each sensing result by use of dataindicating a difference between sensing results in the daytime and inthe nighttime. In this case, the data indicating a difference betweensensing results in the daytime and in the nighttime may be created basedon each of test measurement results in the daytime and in the nighttime.Similar processing may be performed for the weather.

Further, as another example, the determination unit 140 may specify dataindicating performance degradation caused by an external environment inhistory data of sensing results of the first sensor 300, by use of asensing result of the same object by a sensor equipped on anothervehicle, and exclude such data from data used for statisticalprocessing. For example, the determination unit 140 may specify dataindicating performance degradation caused by an external environment andexclude the data from data used for statistical processing as describedbelow. First, with respect to a sensing result of a certain specifiedobject (candidate data for determining a degradation state) in historydata of sensing results of the first sensor 300, the determination unit140 collects a sensing result of the same object by a sensor on anothervehicle measured at a time relatively close to (for example, of theorder of tens of minutes) a time when the first sensor 300 performssensing on the specified object. Then, the determination unit 140calculates a difference (performance degradation) between the collectedsensing result by the sensor on the other vehicle and referenceperformance data. When sensing results for which performance degradationgreater than or equal to a reference is calculated occur by a certainratio or greater out of the collected sensing results by the sensor onthe other vehicle, a sensing result acquired at a relatively closetiming from the sensing results is estimated to be similarly affected bythe external environment and may not be suited as data for determining adegradation state of the first sensor 300. Accordingly, when sensingresults for which performance degradation greater than or equal to thereference is calculated occur by the certain ratio or greater, thedetermination unit 140 excludes the aforementioned candidate data fordetermining a degradation state.

Further, the determination unit 140 may select a frequently detectedspecified object from a travel history, and a sensing history ofspecified objects, and determine degraded performance of the firstsensor 300, based on statistical data (transition) of sensing results ofthe selected specified object. Thus, by narrowing down data used forperformance determination of the first sensor 300 to data of afrequently detected specified object, an effect of a difference in acharacteristic of each specified object (such as a material of aspecified object and an environment of an installation location) on aperformance determination result can be reduced, and a degradation stateof the first sensor 300 can be more precisely determined.

Further, as another example, the determination unit 140 may acquire, asreference performance data, data generated based on a sensing history ofa specified object and a traveling state of the vehicle when sensing isperformed on the specified object. For example, the traveling state ofthe vehicle includes a distance to the specified object, a direction ofthe specified object relative to a traveling direction of the vehicle,and a vehicle speed at the time of sensing. Further, the referenceperformance data is history data associating a sensing result withtraveling state information indicating a traveling state of the vehiclewhen the sensing result is acquired. The determination unit 140determines performance of the first sensor 300 by using a travelingstate having a distance, a direction, and a speed matching a sensingresult of the first sensor 300 or a traveling state being associatedwith a distance, a direction, and a speed each having a value within apredetermined range from the sensing result. An example of a specificprocessing flow will be described below by use of diagrams.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of processing of generatinghistory data (reference performance data). While an example of the firstvehicle 500 equipped with the control device 100 executing the processin FIG. 11 is described here, the process illustrated in FIG. 11 may beexecuted by another vehicle not equipped with the control device 100.

First, by the first vehicle 500 going on a test drive on a route arounda target specified object, information for history data generation iscollected by the control device 100 (S302). Specifically, the controldevice 100 may acquire a sensing result (such as data indicating adistance to the specified object, data indicating a direction in whichthe specified object is positioned relative to a traveling direction ofthe first vehicle 500, and a signal-to-noise ratio or a signal strengthof a signal) of the first sensor 300. Further, the control device 100may acquire traveling state information (such as information acquiredfrom a signal controlling steering, an accelerator pedal, and a brakepedal, and a signal related to a vehicle speed) of the first vehicle 500through a CAN or the like. Then, the control device 100 outputs (stores)history data (example: FIG. 12 ) associating the acquired travelingstate information with the acquired sensing result to (into) a storageunit as reference performance data (S304). FIG. 12 is a diagramillustrating an example of history data (reference performance data).For example, the control device 100 stores the history data asillustrated in FIG. 12 into the storage device 208. The control device100 may output the history data as illustrated in FIG. 12 to an externalserver device (unillustrated) positioned outside the first vehicle 500,or the like. By use of thus generated history data, for example,processing of determining performance of a sensor as illustrated in FIG.13 is executed.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of processing of determiningperformance of the first sensor 300 by use of history data.

First, the determination unit 140 acquires a sensing result of aspecified object by the first sensor 300 (S402). Further, when acquiringthe sensing result by the first sensor 300 in the processing in S402,the determination unit 140 acquires traveling state information of thevehicle (first vehicle 500) at this time through the CAN or the like(S404). Then, from the history data (reference performance data) asillustrated in FIG. 12 , the determination unit 140 selects history data(reference performance data) based on an observation condition (such asa distance from the vehicle to the specified object, a direction inwhich the specified object is positioned relative to a travelingdirection of the vehicle, and a traveling speed of the vehicle)equivalent or similar to an observation condition of the first sensor300 when the sensing result acquired in S402 is acquired (S406). Forexample, by calculating a degree of similarity based on a distance fromthe vehicle to the specified object, a direction in which the specifiedobject is positioned relative to a traveling direction of the vehicle,and a traveling speed of the vehicle, the determination unit 140 candetermine history data (reference performance data) based on a similarobservation condition. Then, by comparing the selected history data(reference performance data) with the sensing result acquired in theprocessing in S402, the determination unit 140 determines performance ofthe first sensor 300 (S408). With a configuration making a comparisonwith reference performance data based on a similar observationcondition, performance degradation of the first sensor 300 can be moreprecisely determined.

Further, as another example, in order to acquire a more precise sensingresult with respect to a specified object, traveling of a vehicle may becontrolled as the vehicle approaches the specified object. When aposition indicated by positional information of the first vehicle 500acquired by the detection unit 130 is within a predetermined range froma position of the specified object, an unillustrated vehicle controlunit controls traveling of the first vehicle in such a way that thefirst sensor 300 can more precisely detect the specified object. Forexample, traveling of the first vehicle allowing more precise detectionof the specified object refers to traveling on a lane facing thespecified object, traveling at a speed less than or equal to apredetermined value, and traveling at a constant speed. Further, insteadof controlling traveling of the vehicle, the vehicle control unit mayoutput information instructing a lane to travel on to a driver.

Further, while a plurality of steps (processing) are described in asequential order in a plurality of flowcharts used in the descriptionabove, an execution order of the steps executed in each embodiment isnot limited to the described order. An order of steps described in eachembodiment may be changed in a range without hindrance in contents.Further, the respective aforementioned embodiments may be combined in arange in which the contents do not conflict with each other.

Without being particularly limited, for example, a part or the whole ofthe aforementioned embodiments may also be described as the followingsupplementary notes.

1. A control device including:

an acquisition unit configured to acquire, from a first sensor fordetecting an object around a first vehicle, a sensing result of aspecified object being an object for performance measurement of thefirst sensor; and

a determination unit configured to determine performance of the firstsensor by use of a sensing result of the specified object acquired bythe acquisition unit.

2. A control method executed by a computer, the control methodincluding:

acquiring, from a first sensor for detecting an object around a firstvehicle, a sensing result of a specified object being an object forperformance measurement of the first sensor; and

determining performance of the first sensor by use of a sensing resultof the specified object acquired by the acquisition unit.

3. A program for causing a computer to function as:

a unit configured to acquire, from a first sensor for detecting anobject around a first vehicle, a sensing result of a specified objectbeing an object for performance measurement of the first sensor; and

a unit configured to determine performance of the first sensor by use ofa sensing result of the specified object acquired by the acquisitionunit.

This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent ApplicationNo. 2017-099151 filed on May 18, 2017, the disclosure of which is herebyincorporated by reference thereto in its entirety.

1. A control device comprising: at least one memory configured to storeinstructions; and at least one processor configured to execute theinstructions to perform operations comprising: acquiring a sensingresult being a result of detecting an object around a first vehicle froma first sensor equipped on the first vehicle; acquiring positionalinformation of a specified object being an object for performancemeasurement of the first sensor; detecting the specified object existingwithin a reference distance from the first vehicle, by use of positionalinformation of the first vehicle and positional information of thespecified object; and determining performance of the first sensor by useof the sensing result of the specified object by the first sensor,wherein the operations further comprise determining performance of thefirst sensor by use of temperature information indicating a temperatureof the first sensor, or estimating a degradation state of the firstsensor, based on statistical data of a sensing result of the specifiedobject, and sorting out a sensing result of the specified object used asthe statistical data, based on weather information or time information.2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein positionalinformation of the specified object is associated with map information.3. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the specified objectis an installation installed on a road or a marking on a road.
 4. Thecontrol device according to claim 1, wherein the operations comprisedetermining performance of the first sensor, based on a result ofcomparing the sensing result of the specified object with referenceperformance data associated with the specified object.
 5. The controldevice according to claim 4, wherein the reference performance data isdata based on a sensing result of the specified object by the firstsensor in a predetermined external environment.
 6. The control deviceaccording to claim 4, wherein the reference performance data include atraveling state of the first vehicle at the time of detection of anobject around the first vehicle by the first sensor, in a predeterminedexternal environment.
 7. The control device according to claim 1,wherein the operations comprise excluding the specified object notsatisfying a predetermined criterion from a detection target, by use ofhistory data of a sensing result of the specified object.
 8. The controldevice according to claim 1, wherein the operations comprise sorting outthe specified object to be a detection target, by use of informationindicating an inclination of the specified object.
 9. The control deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the operations further comprisecontrolling a control parameter in automated driving of the firstvehicle, by use of performance of the first sensor.
 10. The controldevice according to claim 1, wherein the operations comprise determiningperformance of the first sensor by use of a sensing result of thespecified object at each of one or a plurality of distances definedwithin the reference distance.
 11. The control device according to claim1, wherein the operations comprise sorting out a sensing result of thespecified object used as the statistical data, by use of a history of asensing result of the same specified object by a sensor equipped on asecond vehicle different from the first vehicle.
 12. The control deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the operations further comprisedetermining a necessity for outputting an alarm about the first sensor,based on a degradation state of the first sensor.
 13. A scanning systemcomprising: a control device comprising: at least one memory configuredto store instructions; and at least one processor configured to executethe instructions to perform operations comprising: acquiring a sensingresult being a result of detecting an object around a first vehicle froma first sensor equipped on the first vehicle; acquiring positionalinformation of a specified object being an object for performancemeasurement of the first sensor; detecting the specified object existingwithin a reference distance from the first vehicle, by use of positionalinformation of the first vehicle and positional information of thespecified object; and determining performance of the first sensor by useof the sensing result of the specified object by the first sensor,wherein the operations further comprise determining performance of thefirst sensor by use of temperature information indicating a temperatureof the first sensor, or estimating a degradation state of the firstsensor, based on statistical data of a sensing result of the specifiedobject, and sorting out a sensing result of the specified object used asthe statistical data, based on weather information or time information;and a sensor configured to detect an object positioned around the firstvehicle.
 14. The scanning system according to claim 13, wherein thesensor measures a distance and a direction from the first vehicle to theobject by use of light.
 15. A control method executed by a computer, thecontrol method comprising: acquiring a sensing result being a result ofdetecting an object around a first vehicle from a first sensor equippedon the first vehicle; acquiring positional information of a specifiedobject being an object for performance measurement of the first sensor;detecting the specified object existing within a reference distance fromthe first vehicle, by use of positional information of the first vehicleand positional information of the specified object; and determiningperformance of the first sensor by use of the sensing result of thespecified object by the first sensor, wherein the control method furthercomprises determining performance of the first sensor by use oftemperature information indicating a temperature of the first sensor, orestimating a degradation state of the first sensor, based on statisticaldata of a sensing result of the specified object, and sorting out asensing result of the specified object used as the statistical data,based on weather information or time information.
 16. A non-transitorycomputer readable medium storing a program for causing a computer toexecute a method, the method comprising: acquiring a sensing resultbeing a result of detecting an object around a first vehicle from afirst sensor equipped on the first vehicle; acquiring positionalinformation of a specified object being an object for performancemeasurement of the first sensor; detecting the specified object existingwithin a reference distance from the first vehicle, by use of positionalinformation of the first vehicle and positional information of thespecified object; and determining performance of the first sensor by useof the sensing result of the specified object by the first sensorwherein the control method further comprises determining performance ofthe first sensor by use of temperature information indicating atemperature of the first sensor, or estimating a degradation state ofthe first sensor, based on statistical data of a sensing result of thespecified object, and sorting out a sensing result of the specifiedobject used as the statistical data, based on weather information ortime information.